This invention relates generally to a safety device and, more particularly, to a safety device for protecting the hands of an operator of a cushion conversion machine during a cutting operation.
In the process of shipping an item from one location to another, a protective packaging material is typically placed in the shipping case, or box, to fill any voids and/or to cushion the item during the shipping process. Some conventional protective packaging materials are plastic foam peanuts and plastic bubble pack. While these conventional plastic materials seem to perform adequately as cushioning products, they are not without disadvantages. Perhaps the most serious drawback of plastic bubble wrap and/or plastic foam peanuts is their effect on our environment. Quite simply, these plastic packaging materials are not biodegradable and thus they cannot avoid further multiplying our planet""s already critical waste disposal problems. The non-biodegradability of these packaging materials has become increasingly important in light of many industries adopting more progressive policies in terms of environmental responsibility.
The foregoing and other disadvantages of conventional plastic packaging materials have made paper protective packaging material a very popular alternative. Paper is biodegradable, recyclable and renewable, making it an environmentally responsible choice for conscientious industries. Furthermore, paper protective dunnage material is particularly advantageous for use with particle-sensitive merchandise, as its clean, dust-free surface is resistant to electrostatic buildup.
While paper in sheet form could possibly be used as a protective packaging material, it is usually preferable to convert the sheets of paper into a pad-like or other relatively low density dunnage product. This conversion may be accomplished by a cushioning conversion machine, such as those disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,968,291 and 5,123,889. The therein disclosed cushioning conversion machines convert sheet-like stock material, such as paper in multi-ply form, into a pad-like dunnage product having longitudinally extending pillow-like portions that are connected together along a stitched central portion of the product. The stock material preferably consists of two or three superimposed webs or layers of biodegradable, recyclable and reusable thirty-pound Kraft paper or the like rolled onto a hollow cylindrical tube. A thirty-inch wide roll of this paper, which is approximately 450 feet long, will weigh about 35 pounds and will provide cushioning equal to approximately four fifteen cubic foot bags of plastic foam peanuts while at the same time requiring less than one-thirtieth the storage space.
Specifically, these machines convert the stock material into a continuous strip having lateral pillow-like portions separated by a thin central band. This strip is connected or coined along the central band to form a coined strip which is severed or cut into sections of a desired length. The cut sections each include lateral pillow-like portions separated by a thin central band and provide an excellent relatively low density pad-like product which may be used in place of conventional plastic protective packaging material.
As a result of the thickness of the strip produced by a cushioning conversion machine, such as those described above, the severing or cutting action must often be quite forceful, for example, employing a heavy and relatively sharp, driven blade or blade surfaces to adequately cut the strip into sections of the desired length. The timing and frequency of the cuts is often variable and often the end product emanates from the cushion conversion machine at a fairly rapid rate. This, coupled with the additional fact that the paper may sometimes become jammed in the cutting mechanism and output of the machine, make the cutting mechanism and operation an area of safety concern for a cushioning conversion machine.
While many present cushioning conversion machines include a plurality of safety features to protect the hands of an operator during a cutting operation, such as, for example, the use of multiple, spaced anti-tie down switches, electrical interlocks, etc., it is always desirable to provide cushion conversion machines with even additional or substitute safety devices to further assure operator safety.
The present invention provides for improved safety when using cushion conversion machines. Such improved safety is achieved by preventing an operator""s body parts (generally fingers, hands and arms) from coming into contact with the moving cutting blade or blades of a cushioning conversion machine as the operator collects the output from the machine.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a safety output chute for a cushioning conversion machine includes a chute having an input end and an output end, the input end including an opening for receiving a flexible cushioning product from an outlet of the cushioning conversion machine and a plurality of rollers situated inside the chute, the rollers being oriented such that the flexible cushioning product must follow a non-linear path from the input end of the chute to the output end of the chute to inhibit access to the input end of the chute from the output end thereof.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a safety output chute for a cushioning conversion machine includes a chute having an input end and an output end, the input end including an opening for receiving a cushioning product from an outlet of the cushioning conversion machine, and a rotating assembly disposed within the chute including a plurality of radially extending vanes for contacting the cushioning product and rotating to permit movement of the cushioning product through the chute while inhibiting access to the input end of the chute from the output end thereof.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a safety output chute for a cushioning conversion machine includes a chute having an input end and an output end, the input end including an opening for receiving a cushioning product from an outlet of the cushioning conversion machine, and a sensor for sensing the presence of a foreign object in the output chute and generating a signal for communication to the cushioning conversion machine in accordance with such sensing.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a safety output chute for a cushioning conversion machine includes a chute having an input end and an output end, the input end including an opening for receiving a cushioning product from an outlet of the cushioning conversion machine, a shield disposed within the chute having an open position and a closed position, an actuator mechanism for moving the shield between open and closed positions, and a switch for detecting whether the shield is in the open or closed position or an improper position indicating the presence of a foreign object in the chute in addition to the cushioning product.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention, a safety output chute for a cushioning conversion machine includes a chute having an input end including an opening for receiving a cushioning product from an outlet of the cushioning conversion machine, the chute including a hinged cover, and a sliding door for selectively blocking the opening when the cover is open and permitting passage through the opening when the cover is closed.
In accordance with an even further aspect of the invention, a safety output chute for a cushioning conversion machine includes a chute having an input end and an output end, the input end including an opening for receiving a flexible cushioning product from an outlet of the cushioning conversion machine; and a plurality of axially spaced hinged elements substantially preventing ingress though the chute from the output end towards the input end.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a safety output chute for a cushioning conversion machine includes a chute having an input end and an output end, the input end including an opening for receiving a cushioning product from an outlet of the cushioning conversion machine; a shield partially within the chute having an open position and a closed position, the chute extending outside of the chute to contact and to deflect the cushioning product outside of the chute when in the closed position; and an actuating mechanism for moving the shield between the open and closed positions.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a safety output chute for a cushioning conversion machine includes a chute having an input end and an output end, the input end including an opening for receiving a cushioning product from an outlet of the cushioning conversion machine, a shield disposed within the chute having an open position and a closed position, the shield adapted to contact the cushioning product generally along a reduced portion of its surface when in a closed position, and an actuating mechanism for moving the shield between the open and closed positions. The aforementioned features and other aspects of the present invention are described in more detail in the detailed description and the accompanying drawings which follow.